Senate Floor: URGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THE UNITED NATIONS- AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN SUDAN WITH ESSENTIAL TACTICAL AND UTILITY HELICOPTERS

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 432.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The clerk will report the resolution by title.

Madam President, today, the Senate considers S. Res. 432, a bipartisan resolution on Darfur cosponsored by myself, Senator Lugar, and a number of other colleagues. This resolution urges the members of the international community, including the United States, to step up to fill a critical need in equipping the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, namely, 24 tactical and utility helicopters.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has termed these aerial vehicles indispensable to allow the peacekeepers to carry out their mission to protect civilians. I am pleased to see that several countries may now be volunteering to begin to fill this gap. According to press reports, the governments of Ethiopia and Bangladesh are discussing the matter with the United Nations, and I hope that their contributions can be used to help meet this urgent need.

While I want to acknowledge these potential contributions, I would also emphasize that other countries must do the same: the peacekeepers in Darfur need the full complement of 24 helicopters. Darfur is the size of Texas. These aerial assets are critical. Our resolution urges President Bush to personally contact other heads of state on this matter. I have been told that senior officials at the White House and State Department are continuing to engage in high-level outreach on this issue. I respectfully suggest that this outreach should be elevated to conversations among chiefs of state. The United States has led the world in efforts to provide assistance to the people of Darfur. Personally, I believe that we should also lead the world now in providing the equipment or personnel that are needed to ensure the success of the peacekeeping mission. Certainly, collectively, members of the United Nations should do so.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.